First responders connect via DHS online network

Local, state and federal first responders can join a new online professional network from the Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to connect and share advice on how to best prepare for and respond to all hazards.

Jose Vazquez, director of first responder technologies for the S&T, said the program was developed by talking directly with first responders who said they wanted a way to access relevant resources and to connect with colleagues.

So far, the network has 179 users, Vazquez said. He added that in five years, DHS hopes the network will have 500,000 people, or about one-fifth of the roughly 2.5 million first responders in the United States.

Vazquez said the network features user profiles, professional tags, RSS feeds, wikis, and blogs.